City council question?

Question

If I want to change an active city ordinance, am I supposed to write the city council? Or if I want to pass a new law, do I contact them? If I do that, am I supposed to round up

a petition signed by many people to prove how widespread this request is? Also, is the petition simply a piece of paper or does it have to go through some process to be vaild??

As far as the currently active ordinance that I want to destroy goes, I want to know what was used as justification for this law being passed. Should I get a copy of

the city council minutes for when the idea was introduced and at the hearing that it was debated over? In the same hearing, is it then when the ordinance is denied or adopted or

is that in a whole other meeting? Where can I get a copy of all of this? And please, no demeaning and degrading remarks, if you have nothing nice to say do not type it on here at all. That is rude, I simply need to find out some info. I appreciate the respectful civilized people who are nice.

Answer 1

You've raised excellent questions.

Cities vary in how ordinances are passed.

One thing you can do is to contact the City Attorney's office and ask how the procedure is handled in your city.

If they are not helpful, the City Clerk's office should be.

The minutes for city council records are public and should be available to you. It might be difficult to find the records you're seeking, but if you know the date the ordinance was adopted, that should help your search. The City Clerk should be able to show you where to look.

Ordinances after approval at a council meeting may not go into effect until a set date, like January 1. Some ordinances may be considered "emergency ordinances"; these may become effective immediately.

Getting background on the rationale for the ordinance is an excellent idea. You'll learn who supported the ordinance and why. You'll also know who voted against it. There may also be documents from city departments in support of -- or in opposition to -- the ordinance that may prove useful to you.

Respectfully yours,

S

Good luck to you!

Answer 2

Legally, all that's required is that you let them know you want the law changed. But the more you can do to convince them that you're not just a lone nut case, and the more you can do to convince them you know what you're talking about, the better your chances for success.